An appliance can include a door lock mechanism to prevent access to a chamber of the appliance. For instance, an oven can include a door lock mechanism such that the door lock mechanism can be actuated into a locked position to prevent access to a cooking chamber. As another example, a washing machine can include a door lock mechanism such that the door lock mechanism can be actuated into a locked position to prevent access to a washing chamber.
Conventionally, a door lock mechanism can include a door lock latch and a latch motor coupled to the latch to actuate the latch into a locked position. The door lock latch engages a door of the appliance to achieve a locked state. Typical, door lock control systems only consider the status of the latch motor when determining whether the door lock latch has been successfully actuated into the locked position. By omitting consideration of the state of the appliance door, this system can cause a deficiency in the locking method because the door of the appliance can be open during actuation of the latch motor, resulting in the door lock latch reaching a locked position without engaging with the appliance door.
Thus, a need exists for an improved lock control system for an appliance that considers the state of the appliance door. A system and method can be implemented without having to increase the number of inputs and/or hardware in the control system would be particularly useful.